Stopped cleaning my bird feeders with bleach after a cardinal got sick

For two years I scrubbed my feeders with bleach water every week, thinking I was being careful and sanitary. Then one morning last November I found a male cardinal shaking near the feeder with crusty eyes and a weird droop to its wing, and a local wildlife rehabber told me bleach residue can wreck their gut bacteria and immune systems. Now I just use hot water and a stiff brush but I still worry I missed something, has anyone else made this switch and noticed more birds sticking around?

2 comments

2 Comments

jessew8322d ago

Wait, did the rehabber say how long the bleach lingers on the plastic?

linda30522d ago

Whoops, did the bleach set up a timeshare on that plastic?